- By Ranger, Thai Intel’s political journalist
When Bangkok Post, a pro-establishment newspaper here in Thailand, starts to report some small-fringe Thai political body, The Slims, as a “Breaking News” one knows Thailand is freaking out, and reason have left the scene, yet once again.
- Amnesty Turned into Controversial:
What is that Bangkok Post “Breaking News” was about, is news of a small far extreme right wing political body, rejecting the “Speculation” by the Yingluck government on an Amnesty Bill, to grant some 20,000 prisoners amnesty on the 84th birthday of the Thai King-where, that amnesty could include Taksin.
And since that “Breaking News” it is the usual “Illegitimate” calls for outside constitutional powers of “Calling for Coup” and accusing Yingluck of “Insulting the King” with the amnesty probe.
Yet, Yingluck, who just won the Thai election, undoubtedly, has the “Legitimate” majority mandate-where Yingluck’s government, on the Taksin amnesty, said, quote: “The government will not break the law on the amnesty.”
That electoral mandate of Yingluck, is “Solidly Laid in Concrete” as the Shinawatra family, have won every Thai election, in the past ten years or so. Taksin, today, still remain very popular with the Thais, and his return to Thailand under an amnesty-could weakened an already un-popular Thai establishment.
Yet ironically, Yingluck is still utterly powerless to exercise her electoral legitimacy, not only just on the Taksin amnesty, but on a variety of issue. The Yellow Shirts, have remain free, from countless serious crimes. The Red Shirts, remain jailed for countless nothing. The previous government, is escaping accountability on the bloody crack-down. These are just some of the examples, of how powerless Yingluck’s government is.
- Taksin Amnesty Attempt in Recent Past:
There have been attempts before to get amnesty for Taksin. What the mainstream press like Bangkok Post, Nation and Thai Rath-have utterly failed to report about in the current amnesty up-roar, is that about 3 millions Thais have signed a petition to the Thai king to grant amnesty to Taksin-some 3 to 4 years ago.
That legitimate amnesty drive, was blocked by the Democrat Party, frozen, somewhere in the process.
- Rule of Law Questioned:
But perhaps, the strongest reaction, from the Taksin amnesty, came from the Democrat Party, where Abhisit immediate launched an attack, saying the amnesty of Taksin, will destroy Thailand’s system of law and order, as Abhisit is quoted as saying: “The rule of law in Thailand has to prevail,” yet not specifying, what law is Yingluck could be breaking with the Taksin amnesty.
The problem, with the Democrat Party, is that the Democrat Party, lacks a political philosophy that is acceptable to the majority of the Thai people, and have for the past 10 years or so, counted on “Special Circumstances Situation” to put it in power. Furthermore, that lack of a popular philosophy, is backed by its unpopular pro-establishment and pro-authoritarianism philosophy of the party.
What that means, it that the Democrat Party of Abhisit, needs to cling on to the Taksin issue, because the issue is divisive and with division, there is hope that a special circumstantial situation would arise and sweep them into power-through non-democratic manner.
- Wire Service Turns Ignorant:
Meanwhile, as Abhisit utters the “Rule of Law” rationale, Matichon, a newspaper for the intellect here in Thailand, quoted a law professor at the Royalist university, Chula, in its famous second page opinion of important Thais page, as saying, quote: “Taksin needs to come back to Thailand and have his trial re-tried again, because many Thais do not accept the Thai courts rulings of the past.”
Most neutral observer, have long agreed, that the Thai justice system, for much since the 2006 coup that kicked-out Taksin, was in fact, a “Judicialized” justice system-where the courts helped the Thai establishment stay in power.
The evidence of this is ample. However, it is quite odd, that even while foreign news agency, such as AFP and Reuters or even AP-have long accepted as common knowledge of the “Judicialized Nature” of the Thai justice system, but when it comes to the Taksin corruption case, suddenly, these same highly credible news agency, would suddenly switch mode, and assume that Taksin is corrupt-accepting the rulings of those “Judicialized Courts.”
- Thai Corruption Brief History:
But how corrupt is Taksin? Is he the most corrupt Thai politician in history, to deserve to be shunned?
The fact is, the Thais said in a poll a few years ago, when Abhisit was in power, that the corruption under Abhisit, is worse than during Taksin times, and also a global class transparent unit, also found Taksin government, before the 2006 coup, to be the most transparent and non-corrupt since that 2006 coup. Not a single Abhisit government official, faced corruption charges.
But could Taksin come back to Thailand, remain free and be re-trial by the now more normalized Thai justice system? The fact is, even that probably could not be done. The problem, is that the anti-Taksin elements in Thailand, will likely not accept anything that could clear the name of Taksin.
- Taksin Return: The Bottom-Line
Why does Taksin think he has the legitimacy to return to Thailand as a free person?
Perhaps, it is because Taksin believes, most of the Thais supports him. That assumption could be a fact, as can be seen by Taksin winning every election since the 2006 coup and before that.
Again, many Thais continue to loved and respected Taksin. But the minority of Thais and much of the local press, such as the Nation Group and Thai Rath, continue to blame Thailand’s division and political crisis on Taksin.
But is it Taksin divisive, or is there more to it?
The fact is, the Thai establishment rejects of democracy, liberty, justice and human rights, and supports the concept of “The Dictatorship of the Good People.” If Taksin returns to Thailand, as a free person, that would likely electrify his supporters, weakening the establishment. Arguably, Taksin’s popularity would sky-rocket.
Perhaps, the “Real” crime that Taksin committed, that is un-forgiveable by the Thai establishment, is not the mundane corruption in a corruption prone Thailand, but the Taksin empowering the grass-roots to a political will.
- Comparing Crime: Taksin vs Abhisit
What is so utterly hypocritical about the whole anti-Taksin affair, is that the spokesman for the Thai government of Abhisit crack-down unit, just told BBC, that the order to crack-down on the Red Shirts that killed about 100, was a “Direct Order” by Abhisit and his man in charged of security, Suthep.
Abhisit and Suthep today, they are free of any accountability of their actions-when, many argue, it is getting very clear that ultimately, they murdered about 100 people.
And at the same time, when the Bangkok Post goes reporting as “Breaking News” some utterance by that small fringe anti-Taksin group, Slims, even if a just court found Taksin guilty in a re-trial, the crime is about abusing his power to approve his wife to bid for state owned land.
- Conclusion:
As always, Thai Intel urges our readers to be the judge.
The following is from the New York Times:
Anger Erupts in Thailand Over Plans for Amnesty
By THOMAS FULLER
BANGKOK — The Thai government faced a political uproar on Wednesday after details surfaced of a proposed prisoner amnesty that the country’s opposition says is designed to pardon Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted in the 2006 military coup.
Thai officials did not provide details of the proposed amnesty, saying it was secret and needed approval from more than a dozen government committees before it could become law. But the prospect of an amnesty for Mr. Thaksin, who remains an extremely divisive figure in the country, stunned and angered opponents of the government — now headed by his sister — and risked aggravating old wounds.
The government already faces major discontent over the handling of the country’s worst flooding in decades. The authorities tried to protect the economy and the capital, Bangkok, channeling waters away from industrial sites and parts of the city but often increasing the damage to the rural areas that form Mr. Thaksin’s main support base.
The prisoner amnesty issue has reinforced resentments. “It’s so obvious that this was done specifically for Thaksin,” said Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the parliamentary opposition. “Please stop,” Mr. Abhisit advised the government. “This will create disharmony.” He criticized the government for raising the issue “during a time when people are suffering,” referring to the flooding in Bangkok and surrounding areas.
As a measure of the passions surrounding Mr. Thaksin, one of the leaders of a protest group known as the yellow shirts, which helped push Mr. Thaksin from office in 2006 through mass demonstrations, called the proposed amnesty decree “disgusting and vicious.”
Sondhi Limthongkul, the protest leader, accused the government of disrespecting King Bhumibol Adulyadej because the amnesty, if it is passed, will be officially issued by the king on his birthday, on Dec. 5, as is tradition. The king turns 84 this year, an important milestone in Thai culture, because it represents the completion of his seventh 12-year cycle.
On Wednesday, Mr. Sondhi seemed to threaten more civil disobedience, saying, “We will certainly not remain passive.”
Mr. Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire, has in recent years publicly ruled out a return to politics and has deflected specific questions about ending his self-imposed exile in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
But the selection of his younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, as prime minister in August raised suspicions that Mr. Thaksin would continue to exert influence behind the scenes. Mr. Thaksin’s advisory role has been obvious in recent months; at one point he held a meeting with members of Ms. Yingluck’s cabinet via Skype, an Internet video conferencing service.
Chalerm Ubumrung, the country’s deputy prime minister, refused Wednesday to answer questions about whether the planned amnesty was designed to benefit Mr. Thaksin.
“I don’t want to answer that because everything is secret and hasn’t reached a conclusion yet,” he told reporters.
Mr. Thaksin, 62, was convicted of corruption in 2008 but fled before a two-year sentence was handed down. The highly politicized case revolved around a land purchase made by his wife. The court found that Mr. Thaksin had violated laws barring people in public office and their spouses from entering into contracts with the state.
Ms. Yingluck, the prime minister, deflected questions about the proposed amnesty during a news conference on Wednesday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was visiting en route to Bali, Indonesia, for an Asia-Pacific summit meeting.
Mrs. Clinton began a meeting with Ms. Yingluck by commiserating with her. “We know you’ve been facing some challenges,” she said.
In a subsequent news conference Mrs. Clinton offered assistance for the flooding. But she also urged Thailand to pursue “political reconciliation.”
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